U.S. House demands greater oversight on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an amendment by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) Monday, July 21 which calls for greater Congressional oversight over a U.S. military aid program under which Azerbaijan has received over $120 million in U.S. defense assistance, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

Monday’s vote comes just a week after the escalation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, when the latter launched three unsuccessful infiltration attempts in the next four days. The Azerbaijani military also used artillery and combat drones to target civilian homes in several border settlements in Armenia. Four servicemen of the Armenian army were killed, while Azerbaijan reported 12 deaths.

“We thank Congressman Pallone, Sherman, Speier, and Schiff for demanding transparency and accountability from the Administration regarding its reckless arming of an increasingly hostile and virulently anti-Armenian Aliyev regime,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Armenian Americans deeply appreciate the strong leadership of the Armenian Caucus on the full range of policy priorities of concern to our Congressional friends, community partners, and coalition allies.”

The Pallone Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA – H.R.6395), which was cosponsored by Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), requires that the Defense Department submit a report to Congress on a U.S. military aid program (known as Section 333) that has sent over $120 million worth of defense assistance to Azerbaijan over the past several years.

Congressional Armenian Caucus concerns regarding the U.S. Defense Department decision to break the parity in military aid between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been raised repeatedly – most recently in May, 2020, when Congressional leaders shared “grave concerns” about Baku’s large-scale military exercises. In a letter to Secretary of State Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Esper, Rep. Pallone and 17 of his Armenian Caucus colleagues expressed concern about a $100 million allocation in U.S. security assistance to Azerbaijan, noting that “the aid appears to have allowed Azerbaijan to shift resources toward offensive capabilities and further threaten Armenian lives and regional stability as the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues warned in letters sent to you in September and November of 2019.”

The House vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, to which the Pallone amendment was added, will take place as early as Tuesday, July 21. A Senate vote on its version of the NDAA is expected soon. The final bills passed by the two chambers will then enter a reconciliation process, with a final vote likely in November.